


Keys

by Puniyo



Series: Compass [6]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 1st person pov, Experimental writing, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Stream of Consciousness, chocolate cameo, hints of sugar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 08:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12295641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puniyo/pseuds/Puniyo
Summary: ‘Do you think I’m beautiful, Javi?’You stop the annoying beat and raise an eyebrow. There is another smile.





	Keys

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there dear reader! I finally finished this short piece also in the 1st person POV. This time it is entirely from Yuzu's POV and it's some sort of an attempt at a stream of consciousness, so again, it's an experiment for me.  
> I got this idea before Autumn Classic but since then I moved to another country since I'll be starting my postgraduate degree soon, very soon (like the day after tomorrow :p ) so I kind of neglected this (shame on me for still procrastinating at my age).
> 
> This is related to [Starry Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12016932) and if you have read that one, this kind of fits before the last scene. 
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy it ^^
> 
> Disclaimer: the ideas written and presented in this fic do not reflect the thoughts of the people mentioned. This is purely from my imagination.

The sound of the keys going up and down is like the heavy footsteps of the neighbor upstairs. It’s everywhere – it’s left and right, forward and back in a level one step sequence. It’s not irritating normally but it’s becoming a habit today, this mopping between the ち and the む and delete. Another sentence gone. _The shaping of electronic media in supporting effective communication._ A draft, it’s only a draft, I say. And here goes another paragraph gone. The small window in the computer asks me if I want to save my progress. I wander between _yes_ and _no_. Save or cancel.

Words don’t come to my mind. Maybe I shouldn’t have practiced as if the Olympics were tomorrow. My hips are sore and my knee feels funny. The body of an elite athlete they say but the pain feels even more real and the lactic acid has no time to be broken down. I look at the calendar – two more weeks until Autumn Classic and it’s Sunday tomorrow. There is no training scheduled. My shoulders relax and I balance on my chair.

 _Uwahh_! I almost fall, the wheels still screeching from the overstraining movement. I take a deep breath – there’s a yellow spot on the ceiling. It’s not purely yellow, like poached egg yolk yellow or sunset yellow. _Fine_ , it’s not yellow but it’s on the same spectrum. _Ahh_! It’s like your costume Javi, your _Chaplin_ at Worlds and the podium you climbed to. What are you wearing this season? It is also like your barber from Seville and like our medals. The gold and round, not egg yolk colored medals but they are certainly the ones we aim for and the ones I want to conquer _with_ you.

_It must be you Javi the one I step on the podium with._

Does it feel complete for you without me? Did you think of me when you see your country’s flag and step on the first block on Europeans? Do you ever catch my name on the Kiss and Cry, whether on your lips or your tears?

The chair is wobbly again and I will fall if I continue here. My bed is warm and I change location. The orthopedic pillow is better than acupuncture for my neck and my shoulders sink on the mattress. It’s still early – 6:42pm – but I feel sleepy. I’ll stay awake if I can catch that spot on the wall. It fits perfectly on my palm – I draw my fingers in but the blotch stays there, static and imprinted forever in the memories of the house.

What does it feel like to catch me Javi? What does it feel to have me on your arms when we try a lift in the quiet hours of the club, away from Brian’s reprimand gaze? Is it easy to catch me Javi? Maybe I’m the one trying to catch you. _Romeo_ had died in Worlds, stabbed by the pain of a sprained ankle but saved and revived by your quad Salchow.

 _I like your jumps Javi_. I like the power you instill on them and the edge you run on. I wanted that mastery and control that you displayed and Toronto did not quench my thirst – it only made me want more. How do you… – an incoming message.

[from Javi 6:43] ‘How is your knee Yuzu?’

It stings and hurts but I’ve almost forgotten about it.

[to Javi 6:44] ‘It’s fine. Had massage today.’

_Do you know I am thinking of you Javi?_

[from Javi 6:44] ‘You don’t have to lie to me. I saw how you fell on that quad Axel.’

[from Javi 6:45] ‘It wasn’t underrotated.’

It was a fall, a minus one deduction on the protocol. You’ve noticed it. You pay attention to me Javi.

[to Javi 6:50] ‘Are you home Javi?’

\--------------------------------------------------

‘You could have waited at least until the rain stopped, you know?’

I could. I really could but my feet moved before my brain told them not to and the way to your house is an itinerary on auto-pilot. I really could Javi but the weather doesn’t scare me. Do you remember the grey clouds in Sochi? You laughed at my black sesame ice-cream comparison and I bet you haven’t tried this flavor yet.

‘Come in before you catch a cold.’

You look tired. There are bags under your eyes and your hair is caught in a concoction of fur, sweat and droplets of rain. You have just finished training, haven’t you? Your cheeks are still flushed and I can see that you’re not comfortable in the Reebok wrapped around your chest.

 _Be more human_ , wasn’t it?

‘I’ll take a shower first. I must smell like a horse. I have matcha in the cupboard in the kitchen.’

_But you don’t drink tea Javi._

I nod and Effie is zigzagging between my ankles. Your cat is getting fatter and fatter. What are you feeding her? Your shirt land on her the next moment and it’s the first time I hear you laugh today.

_Laugh more._

Your muscles are well defined and your hazelnut tan from the Summer is finally exposed. I’m envious. How do you do it Javi? Your cheeks are even redder than before and you quickly disappear to the bathroom, the sound of the running water following soon. Did I stare too long?

Your kitchen is clean as always. I’ll make coffee since you prefer this drink. Leftmost cupboard – you have even more varieties than the last time I came. _Arabica_ and _Robusta_ , blends from Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica. Is this a test? Oh, there is instant coffee hidden behind the bottle of caramel syrup.

The aroma is not like the coffee you make but it’s nostalgic. Do you remember the first time you made me a cup? It was warm just like the hand you offered me when I fell on the quad Salchow the first time I tried it in the rink. It was warm like the hug you gave me when I cried of frustration for not being able to control my own speed. It was warm like...

Effie jumps into the table and her tail manages to spill some of the drink onto the floor. A light brown blotch on the tile. It’s the stain on my wall. The kitchen smells coffee but there’s a faint scent of vanilla.

‘Leave it, I’ll wipe it.’

You’re back from your shower and you pick up your cat, only to have her go back to her favorite spot next to the TV. You sit in front of me and take a sip of the hot liquid. You laugh whole-heartedly and I feel my cheeks burning.

‘You found out my solution for lazy days.’

One more spoon of sugar and the coffee is almost gone. There is not a single complaint in your voice and you just chuckle a few times, making me feel proud and guilty. This time, it’s you who fixes your gaze on me but we don’t talk. The silence does it for us. The quietness is understanding and there is chocolate mixed with vanilla in the air. Your fingers tap an irregular rhythm in the wooden surface.

Do you know why I came? _Do I even know why I came_? It’s only the two of us now, two bodies sat in the same space and staring at each other. A world just for us. Did I miss this? _Did you miss this_?

‘Do you think I’m beautiful, Javi?’

You stop the annoying beat and raise an eyebrow. There is another smile.

 _And I feel your lips on mine_.

**Author's Note:**

> 'this mopping between the ち and the む ' - on a Japanese keyboard, the 'A' position would be ち and the 'L' would be む (I looked for a picture on google so please correct me if I'm wrong. If you haven't figured out yet, Yuzu is typing an assignment for college at the beginning of this piece.


End file.
